Artificial Intelligence in the Heart of Nursing Practice

In the second episode of The AI Oncology Revolution, host Arturo Loaiza-Bonilla, MD, MSEd, FACP, sat down with Marissa Marti-Smith, DNP, APRN, AGNP-C, AOCNP, an oncology nurse practitioner specializing in breast medical oncology at Texas Oncology. Although artificial intelligence (AI) is often discussed through the lens of physician tools, this episode highlighted the "heart of the practice"––the nursing and advanced practice provider teams––and how they are leading the charge in technological implementation.

Key highlights from the episode include:

• Marti-Smith sharing her 2-year experience with ambient AI (DeepScribe), allowing her to be fully present with patients rather than "tied to a computer," saving 1.5 to 2 hours of documentation time per week
• Showcase of data from Texas Oncology revealing AI integration has reduced chart closure time to just 1.6 minutes, with seamless electronic health record uploads taking under 3 minutes
• AI in assisting nurses during patient calls, providing real-time prompts and management recommendations for symptoms such as headaches or treatment-related adverse effects
• An exploration of the latest in AI-driven risk assessment, including newly NCCN-approved tools for assessing breast cancer risk in women 35 years or older and the emergence of platforms such as OpenEvidence and health-specific large language models

Additionally, Loaiza-Bonilla discussed governance with AI and keeping a "human in the loop," diving into the Fair, Useful, and Reliable Models framework for AI implementation:

• Fair: Ensuring equity of benefits across the practice
• Useful: Reducing the burden of trial matching and care planning
• Reliable: Providing local validation and contextual accuracy

Both Loaiza-Bonilla and Marti-Smith emphasized the necessity of keeping a "human in the loop" to prevent clinical de-skilling and ensure that the "muscle memory" of medicine remains sharp. From patient education and consent to navigating the evolving legal landscape, this episode is a must-watch for clinicians looking to reduce burnout and reclaim the joy of patient-centered care.